Julian Waterfall Pollack
Encyclopedia
Julian Waterfall Pollack (born June 28, 1988) is an American pianist
, composer
, and singer-songwriter
associated with jazz
, post-bop
, and pop music
. He has performed at jazz festivals in the US
and abroad, including the Umbria Jazz Festival
and the Montreux Jazz Festival
, and appeared on the prestigious Marian McPartland
Piano Jazz
radio show aired on NPR
.
, able to play difficult pieces of classical music
well beyond his years. He attended The Crowden School in Berkeley, California
, for his middle school
years, where he received training in orchestral playing, chamber music
, harmony
, and counterpoint
, as well as a courses in the liberal arts
. For his high school
years he attended Berkeley High School where he developed his love for jazz, playing as principal pianist for four years in their award-winning Jazz ensemble. During his four years of High School, he released two recordings, Goin' For It (Jazzschool Records) and Alive Again (Independent). Goin' For It received much critical acclaim in the Bay Area and finally won national recognition by being featured on Jazziz Magazine's monthly CD.
In 2006, Pollack left the Bay Area to attend New York University
in New York City
. Shortly after his arrival, he was invited to be featured on NPR
's prestigious radio show Piano Jazz
, hosted by Marian McPartland
. He also met singer Grace Weber at New York University with whom he formed the band Grace and Julian. In 2007 they released their debut album, Grace and Julian, which showcases their original material, on their newly-formed record label Junebeat Records. In August of 2007, Pollack released his first solo piano CD, Solitude, on Junebeat Records.
Source: Jazzserver database
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, and singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
associated with jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, post-bop
Post-bop
Post-bop is a term for a form of small-combo jazz music that evolved in the early-to-mid sixties. The genre's origins lie in seminal work by John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Charles Mingus, Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock...
, and pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
. He has performed at jazz festivals in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and abroad, including the Umbria Jazz Festival
Umbria Jazz Festival
The Umbria Jazz Festival is one of the most important jazz festivals in the world and has been held annually since 1973, usually in the month of July, in Perugia, Italy...
and the Montreux Jazz Festival
Montreux Jazz Festival
The Montreux Jazz Festival is the best-known music festival in Switzerland and one of the most prestigious in Europe; it is held annually in early July in Montreux on the shores of Lake Geneva...
, and appeared on the prestigious Marian McPartland
Marian McPartland
Margaret Marian McPartland, OBE is an English-born jazz pianist, composer, writer, and the host of Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz on National Public Radio, NPR.-Early life:...
Piano Jazz
Piano Jazz
Piano Jazz is a weekly one hour radio show produced and distributed by National Public Radio. It began on June 4, 1978 and has always been hosted by jazz pianist Marian McPartland. It is the longest running cultural program on NPR. The show features a single guest, and usually consists of about an...
radio show aired on NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
.
Biography
Pollack began piano lessons at the early age of five with his mother, Susan Waterfall, and was called a child prodigyChild prodigy
A child prodigy is someone who, at an early age, masters one or more skills far beyond his or her level of maturity. One criterion for classifying prodigies is: a prodigy is a child, typically younger than 18 years old, who is performing at the level of a highly trained adult in a very demanding...
, able to play difficult pieces of classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
well beyond his years. He attended The Crowden School in Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
, for his middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
years, where he received training in orchestral playing, chamber music
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
, harmony
Harmony
In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches , or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...
, and counterpoint
Counterpoint
In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in contour and rhythm and are harmonically interdependent . It has been most commonly identified in classical music, developing strongly during the Renaissance and in much of the common practice period,...
, as well as a courses in the liberal arts
Liberal arts
The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
. For his high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
years he attended Berkeley High School where he developed his love for jazz, playing as principal pianist for four years in their award-winning Jazz ensemble. During his four years of High School, he released two recordings, Goin' For It (Jazzschool Records) and Alive Again (Independent). Goin' For It received much critical acclaim in the Bay Area and finally won national recognition by being featured on Jazziz Magazine's monthly CD.
In 2006, Pollack left the Bay Area to attend New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Shortly after his arrival, he was invited to be featured on NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
's prestigious radio show Piano Jazz
Piano Jazz
Piano Jazz is a weekly one hour radio show produced and distributed by National Public Radio. It began on June 4, 1978 and has always been hosted by jazz pianist Marian McPartland. It is the longest running cultural program on NPR. The show features a single guest, and usually consists of about an...
, hosted by Marian McPartland
Marian McPartland
Margaret Marian McPartland, OBE is an English-born jazz pianist, composer, writer, and the host of Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz on National Public Radio, NPR.-Early life:...
. He also met singer Grace Weber at New York University with whom he formed the band Grace and Julian. In 2007 they released their debut album, Grace and Julian, which showcases their original material, on their newly-formed record label Junebeat Records. In August of 2007, Pollack released his first solo piano CD, Solitude, on Junebeat Records.
Discography
- Alive Again (Independent Release, 2004)
- Goin’ For It (Jazzschool Records, 2006) (Trio release with Darrell Green and David Ewell)
- Grace and Julian (Junebeat Records, 2007) (with Grace Weber)
- Solitude (Junebeat Records, 2007)
- 94 & 95 (Junebeat Records, 2008)
- Infinite Playground (Junebeat Records, 2010)
Source: Jazzserver database